Hank Voight, over the course of seven seasons, has become everyone’s favorite boss on Chicago P.D. He somehow manages to play good cop and bad cop at the same time, and does both extremely well. Audiences love him, and hate him, and find him incredibly intimidating, but that’s what it takes to be the Squad Commander of the Chicago Police Department’s Intelligence Unit.
Hank’s tough guy mentality sometimes hinders his conflict resolution skills. The struggle between punching a guy or throwing a witty comeback at him is very real for Voight. When he does choose to use his words, it usually makes for a memorable moment on screen.
“I just sent a teenager away for murder, and I got a friend laying in the morgue. So I’m just gonna sit right here, and drink this beer.”
The police officers in this show are seen at a bar or opening a beer at home after a long shift a lot. Almost every episode ends with a recap over a cold one, and Hank is no different. Being in the line of duty is a tough job and Hank Voight is not immune to the stress caused by that kind of work. Hank is probably the one we see least with a beer in his hand, but when he does drink, it’s for good reason, like when he says these words after a particularly tough day on the force.
“That smug face you’re wearin’, it’s gonna come off.”
No one threatens quite like Sergeant Voight. With his raspy voice and strong demeanor, he’s already a pretty intimidating figure that even the toughest of criminals shrink in front of. His is not the bad side you want to end up on, especially when it comes to the law. Hank loves his job and the people he helps just as much as he loves his own family and he will stick up for and fight for anyone who needs his help. He’ll also find fun ways to make his threats, like in the case of this line.
“Hey, we all go home tonight.”
The people who work on Hank’s team are his family. Each and every officer of the Chicago P.D.’s District 21 Intelligent Unit, is like a child to Hank. He’s never afraid to reprimand an officer when he needs to, but he is also the first to sit an officer down for a heart-to-heart during difficult times. He would take a bullet for any member of his team and his top priority is protecting those officers and making sure that no matter how dangerous or hard a call may be, everyone always makes it home at the end of a shift.
“This my unit. My unit. I take the heat. I take the bullets. Is that clear?”
Here, Hank just comes right out and says it. He takes the bullets for his team. Hank Voight goes above and beyond for the men and women he works with. This team finds themselves in hot water plenty of times, whether it be with a suspect or a convicted criminal, or even Chicago’s District Attorney.
Hank will stand up whenever he can, even when he doesn’t have to, even when he’s not in the wrong. If he’s protecting his officers, that’s all that matters to Hank Voight.
“Here’s the thing. The two officers who went to do the buy are missing. And when cops go missing, all the rules go out the window.”
Hank isn’t one to follow the rules. Behind closed doors and away from security cameras, Hank likes to play dirty, especially when it comes to getting justice. If that justice is for one of Hank’s own, if an officer is in danger or there’s even a possibility someone Hank loves could be threatened, Hank will do whatever it takes to alleviate the situation, even if it means breaking a few rules, or a lot of the time, breaking a few bones, and usually, he gets away with it.
“Look, what happened today, it cannot happen again. Okay? We don’t take those kinds of risks.”
One of the biggest components to Hank’s job is keeping his detectives and officers safe. Sometimes, that doesn’t mean taking the bullets for them. Sometimes it means ensuring the gun is never fired. If there’s a smarter and safer way to solve a crime or apprehend a suspect, Hank will find it and he will insist his team go in that direction.
As tough as Hank is, he’s also extremely level-headed and has a knack for making the tough calls that ensure everyone on his team makes it out of every situation.
“If I don’t get a name, I’ll cut your head clean off and give it to your mother.”
Sometimes, Hank’s threats go a little too far, like in this instance where Hank threatens a suspect to the most extreme degree. Part of the fun with Hank’s dialogue and threats, is wondering if that’s something he would actually do. Most of the time, Hank seems like the guy any officer would be lucky to work for and have in their corner, but then other times, he’s painted to be more of a corrupt cop, capable of going rogue and committing his own crimes at the drop of a hat.
“I just did.”
This matter of fact response comes from Hank after his second in command, Antonio Dawson says to him, “If you’ve got a problem with me around opioids, just say it.” Hank doesn’t need to say much to get his point across, as is proven in this exchange. Hank doesn’t beat around the bush, but he also doesn’t always say exactly what’s on his mind because he doesn’t have to.
Usually, what he’s thinking is written all over his face. That’s enough for Hank and he expects that to be enough for anyone he speaks to.
“I don’t know much about karma, but I do know that if Jay Halstead dies, you’re going to wish you never lived.”
Hank’s relationship with Detective Jay Halstead is a tumultuous one, but is also full of love. These two main characters share a lot of ups and downs, similar to that of a father and his son. It’s an interesting relationship dynamic and one that audiences follow closely because it seems to be ever-changing and shifting depending on the case these detectives work on, or more personal matters, like when Jay starts dating fellow detective Erin Lindsay, who is quite literally like a daughter to Hank.
“See that? You cross this line, it’ll land you in the bottom of the river.”
It’s safe to say that Hank Voight keeps his audience on their toes at all times. Maybe he wouldn’t actually cut off a guys head and ship it to his mother, but it’s not hard to imagine him dumping someone in the river, especially if that someone crosses any of Hank’s lines. Hank has clear boundaries for himself and the people he loves and Hank will do whatever he has to do to make sure that those boundaries are respected and those lines are never crossed.
